1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to food preparation and, more specifically, to a mechanical means for removing the cores of fruits and vegetables or placing a cavity in fruits and vegetables wherein a selection of differing fruits and vegetable can be placed inside for decorative purposes or for cooking.
There are numerous methods for preparing foods for cooking. While these methods may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. It is thus desirable to provide a mechanical means for coring fruits and vegetables which is easy to use, removes hands and fingers from the cutting area and produces a more uniform appearance for use within the food service industry. It is further desirable to provide an apparatus which can be adapted to large scale food service operations, such as institutional cafeterias and kitchens, where it would be necessary to know the amount of filling required per number of fruits or vegetables to be filled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other devices designed for coring fruit and vegetables. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,974 issued to Ellis on Mar. 11, 1975.
Another patent was issued to Ellis on Jun. 15, 1976 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,963 and still another was issued on Oct. 15, 1991 to Buck et al. as U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,223, and, to Poltielov, Applicant, on Dec. 23, 1997 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,725.